The defeated red boars began to dissolve into particles before the two girls, who kept their weapons raised and stayed on guard. Both of them had accurately struck vital spots, finishing the monsters in a single blow. In a chaotic melee against multiple foes, the precision required to catch and kill an enemy by hitting their vitals is extremely important. If you divert your focus thinking you’ve won when you actually missed their vitals, you're liable to take a counterattack—and in a dungeon, that could easily lead to a fatal wound.
Considering that, their handling of the situation was nothing short of masterful.
"Good work. You both handled that very efficiently."
"Thanks, Onii-chan."
"Knowing you were watching made me a little nervous."
"Despite that, your coordination was smooth. It looks like you’ve been practicing quite a bit."
The way Saori-chan had closed the distance in a single burst without hesitation right after Mika’s initial throw was excellent. Without absolute trust that Mika would hit her mark with the throwing darts, Saori-chan wouldn't have been able to charge into the enemy ranks like that. No matter how close they were as best friends, the resolve to dive into a life-or-death situation while placing your life in someone else's hands isn't something acquired overnight.
It was proof of the many hours of practice and experience they had accumulated.
"Yeah. Even on days we don't go to the dungeon, Juzo-san has been teaching us a lot," Mika said.
"Like those throwing darts?"
"Mm-hm. When I told him I didn't have any mid-to-long range attack options, he asked, 'How about something like this?'"
"I’m learning them too, but Mika-chan is much better at it," Saori-chan added. "We’re about equal when it comes to a single-dart throw or consecutive throwing, but Mika-chan is in a league of her own when it comes to accuracy with multiple simultaneous throwing."
Recalling Mika’s opening attack, I had to agree that it was impressive. The difficulty gap between consecutive throwing and simultaneous throwing was vast. Consecutive throwing involved quickly repeating throws while aiming firmly at a single target each time. Simultaneous throwing required aiming at multiple different targets and releasing the darts at the exact same moment—throwing at different locations all at once. If the timing of the release was off by even a fraction of a second, the darts would miss their marks by a wide margin.
Certainly, with the physical enhancement inherent to explorers, the difficulty of consecutive throwing was lower than it would be for ordinary people. But simultaneous throwing was a matter of pure talent and hard work. That level of skill was the result of Mika's natural aptitude meeting her dedicated effort.
"I see. That’s incredible, Mika. Since when could you do that? You could have told me..."
"Ah, well... It only recently reached a level where I could use it in actual combat."
When I praised her after hearing Saori-chan's story, Mika looked away bashfully and gave a humble reply. It was true that being praised to one's face could be embarrassing.
While we were talking, the red boars finished dissolving, leaving several drop items rolling on the ground in their place.
"Hmm... This is underwhelming."
"Yeah... You’re right."
"Just two pieces of meat."
The two wore conflicted expressions as they looked at the loot. The only drops from this battle were two portions of meat. In other words, the reward for the fight would be a few thousand yen at best. For a rookie explorer who debuted this summer, that would be an excellent result, but for explorers with a fair amount of experience like Mika and Saori-chan, it was a meager haul.
The high-earners, even among rookies, could make over a hundred thousand yen in a single dive.
"Well, it all depends on luck. You have good days and bad days."
"I guess... Well, it's better than getting a Core Crystal, at least."
"Yeah, a Core Crystal would only be a few hundred yen."
The two looked disappointed but let out small sighs before pulling themselves together. They began collecting the drop items and retrieving their throwing darts. It was true that lately, though the price of meat had dropped, it still fetched a higher price than a Core Crystal.
Once they finished, they checked their equipment to ensure nothing had been damaged in the fight before informing me they were ready to move on.
"Okay, the tips aren't bent. No problems for reuse."
"Then, Mika-chan, shall we head out?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Is it okay with you too, Onii-chan?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"Then let’s get going."
At Saori-chan's signal, we resumed our exploration.
After wandering around the 5th floor for a while longer, they engaged in two more battles. Given how crowded the dungeon was, the encounter rate was actually quite good.
However, the results remained lackluster.
"Geez, why is this all we’re getting?"
"There, there, Mika-chan. Sometimes it's just like this."
"She's right. It's better for your state of mind to think that at least you're getting something."
"I know, but with only this much..."
Mika let out a small sigh as she looked into her backpack at the collected drops. It contained only two pieces of meat and three Core Crystals.
I doubted the total exchange value would even hit five thousand yen.
"Well, we still have time, so don't get impatient. Something good will turn up eventually."
"Yeah, you're right."
I offered an optimistic opinion to encourage the dejected Mika. Having visible results is a great motivator, while a lack of them inevitably drains your energy. I wasn't expecting a skill scroll, but if something like a recovery potion dropped, it would at least cover their travel expenses. It all came down to luck.
As I was thinking that, Saori-chan, who had been quietly watching us, spoke up.
"Anyway, what should we do? The stairs to go down are close from here. Should we try descending to the 6th floor?"
"Hmm. I don't intend to tell you what to do either way. What do you two want to do?"
As Saori-chan said, the staircase to the 6th floor was just ahead. They could keep circling the 5th floor for monsters, but since our goal was to reach the 7th floor, heading down to the 6th floor now made sense.
Of course, the final decision was theirs.
"I think we should go down. Also, for a change of pace, we should probably take a tea break soon. What do you think, Saori-chan?"
"Yeah, I agree. A break sounds like a good idea."
"Then it’s settled. That’s okay with you too, Onii-chan?"
"Yeah, fine by me."
And so, we began walking toward the stairs. As we got closer, the presence of other people grew significantly stronger, and the air filled with the buzz of voices.
Just as I suspected, the passageway was congested with people trying to descend.
"Crowded as ever."
"Yeah. It'll probably be like this for the rest of summer break."
"By the way, Onii-san, what’s it like in the dungeon you usually go to? Is it as crowded as this?"
As Mika and I frowned in annoyance at the crowd, Saori-chan asked about other dungeons.
"No, the level of crowding is about the same. Though, since mine is deeper in the mountains, it might be slightly better than this place."
"I see. Oh, are the floors you work on crowded too?"
"Hmm? Ah, no. It’s certainly crowded, but once you get past the 15th floor, the numbers drop off. The floors that are more crowded than usual are generally only up to the 12th or 13th."
"The 12th or 13th floor..."
Saori-chan looked at me with a mix of respect and a distant gaze that bordered on envy. For her and Mika, who hadn't even reached the 10th floor yet, those depths were a story for the far future. Still, once you passed the 5th floor, the summer break rookies usually couldn't descend further due to their lack of skill, which eased the chaos somewhat.
In exchange, however, those floors were populated by early-debut groups like Mika's or veteran explorers who specialized in the surface floors.
"I think you're both skilled enough for the 10th floor, but rushing is how people get hurt. It might be frustrating, but it's better to gain experience and progress steadily."
"We're... actually that skilled?"
"In terms of combat ability, yes. However, a lack of experience can drag you down and lead to a fatal situation. That’s the real danger."
Dungeon exploration isn't just about fighting monsters. It's the preparation beforehand, and your conduct toward other explorers during the dive—a single mistake can lead to a supply shortage or create unnecessary enemies. If you only stick to the surface floors, you might survive a mistake, but if you go even slightly deeper, those same errors become lethal.
In fact, we had seen parties on the deep floors end up in dire straits due to minor troubles or because they were too hostile to cooperate with anyone else.
"..." "..."
"Observing those nuances is also part of the evaluation for this trip. That said, it’s not something you learn overnight, so don't overthink it."
"N-No, hearing you say that makes it hard not to..."
"I don't think 'not worrying' is an option anymore..."
Mika and Saori-chan wore strained, troubled expressions.
As an awkward silence drifted between us, we spotted a gap in the flow of explorers heading down and joined them.
Upon reaching the staircase plaza on the 6th floor, we found an empty spot along the wall and spread out a leisure sheet. This far down, there were no luxuries like built-in tables or benches.
Mika and Saori-chan sat down, shrugged off their packs, and took long drinks of barley tea to soothe their throats.
"Phew... I'm exhausted."
"Tell me about it. We haven't had a real break yet."
"We’ve been taking small rests, but you've been in the dungeon for about two hours now. Physically you're fine, but the mental fatigue is probably setting in."
Given the physical buffs from leveling up, a few battles and two hours of walking wouldn't physically exhaust an explorer. But the mind was a different story. Being constantly exposed to the tension and pressure of a dungeon was a heavy burden for rookies like Mika and Saori-chan. Even with frequent short breaks, the stress wasn't something they could fully shake off so quickly.
Looking at the two of them, I offered a word of advice—or perhaps a critique.
"...As I thought, you're still lacking experience."
"..." "..."
"Of course, we get mentally tired too. But you should avoid letting it show so obviously. It makes it too easy for your thread of tension to snap."
Once that thread of tension breaks, it’s incredibly difficult to pull it taut again. Even words spoken as a light complaint can have a surprising impact on your focus—especially when you're starting out. You can complain all you want once you're out of the dungeon, but while inside, those are words best left unsaid.
Hearing my critique, Mika and Saori-chan looked downcast for a moment, but then they straightened up and looked at me with renewed determination.
"Yeah, sorry. You're right, Onii-chan. At the very least, we shouldn't show it on our faces."
"I'm sorry. I think I let my guard down too much."
"No, I was just sharing a thought. I'm not angry."
I waved my hand to dismiss their apologies. If I accepted them too formally, the atmosphere would stay stiff.
Besides, the fact that they had let their guard down was likely because I was with them. Although I was technically their examiner today and not their guardian, having someone significantly stronger who they knew would look out for them made it easy to fall into a state of unconscious dependence.
"Just consider it part of the learning process and try not to do it next time. You’ve heard that before, right?"
"Yeah. I'll be careful."
"Yes!"
Saori-chan's energetic response finally cleared the heavy air.
With the atmosphere lightened, we finished our tea and chatted for a bit, taking a proper rest before heading back out into the dungeon.